2021 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship seeds, matchups and notes

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The 2021 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Levy Recognition, gets underway Friday, March 5 in Pensacola, Florida.

The Championships will be played, March 5-8, with all 12 teams competing in the single-elimination tournament. Games will be played at the Pensacola Bay Center and Pensacola State College. The championship is scheduled for Monday, March 8 at 1 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

Louisiana (14-5, 13-1) won the 2020-21 Regular Season Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin’ Cajuns earned the #1 seed in the West while Troy (19-5, 15-2) is the #1 seed in the East.

2020-21 Regular Season Stats

Tournament History
Little Rock enters the 2021 Sun Belt Championship as the defending champion from 2018 and 2019. (The 2020 tournament was canceled before the semifinals due to COVID.) The Trojans have the most women’s basketball conference titles (2011, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2019).

Former Sun Belt member Western Kentucky has the most by any former or current member with 10. Their last one was in 2014.

Year-by-Year Champions

Sun Belt Automatic Qualifier
The Conference AQ to the NCAA Tournament will be the winner of the Sun Belt Conference Basketball Championship for both men and women. In the event the team that won the AQ cannot participate in the NCAA postseason the runner-up will be deemed the AQ and represent the Conference in the NCAA postseason.

Full AQ Information

2021 SUN BELT WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round 
Friday, March 5
Game 1 – (4W) Texas State vs. (5E) Georgia Southern (ESPN+), 11:30 a.m. SC
Game 2 – (3E) App State vs. (6W) ULM (ESPN+), 11 a.m. BC
Game 3 – (3W) Little Rock vs. (6E) Coastal Carolina (ESPN+), 1:30 p.m. BC
Game 4 – (4E) South Alabama vs. (5W) Arkansas State (ESPN+), 2 p.m. SC

Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 6
Game 5 – Game 1 Winner vs. (1E) Troy (ESPN+), 11 a.m. BC
Game 6 – Game 2 Winner vs. (2W) UTA (ESPN+), 11:30 a.m. SC
Game 7 – Game 3 Winner vs. (2E) Georgia State (ESPN+), 2 p.m. SC
Game 8 – Game 4 Winner vs. (1W) Louisiana (ESPN+), 1:30 p.m. BC

Semifinals 
Sunday, March 7
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner (ESPN+), 11 a.m. BC
Game 10 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner (ESPN+), 1:30 p.m. BC

Championship Game 
Monday, March 8
Game 11 – Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner (ESPNU), 1 p.m. BC

BC = Game played at Pensacola Bay Center
SC = Game played at Pensacola State College
All times are central and subject to change.

East Division Seeds

#1 Troy (19-5, 15-2 SBC)

• Troy has 10 all-time conference tournament wins, their last win during the 2018 quarterfinals against South Alabama.
• The Trojans are first in the conference and third in the NCAA in scoring offense (86.9).
• Troy is first in the nation and the league in defensive rebounds per game (32.8).
• Alexus Dye is averaging a double-double in points (15.4) and rebounds (12.3). She is first in the NCAA in double-doubles with 19 this season. Dye’s 296 total rebounds rank first in the country and conference. Her 49.1 percent field goal percentage in the SBC.
• Felmas Koranga is also averaging a double-double in points (12.5) and rebounds (10.4). Her 12.5 points per game rank 15th and her 10.4 rebounds per game are second in the league. Koranga’s 10.4 rebounds per game rank second in the conference.

#2 Georgia State (13-10, 9-7 SBC)

• The Panthers have five conference tournament appearances and are searching for their first win.
• Georgia State ranks third in the Sun Belt in scoring offense (66.8).
• The Panthers’ 99 total blocks are second in the league.
• Taylor Hosendove is first on the team and sixth in the conference in scoring averaging 12.4 points. Her 8.7 rebounds per game lead the team and are fifth in the Sun Belt. Hosendove’s 199 total rebounds placed her fourth in the league.
• Taylor Henderson’s 62 assists are a team-high and place her eighth in the conference.

#3 App State (13-11, 10-8 SBC)

• App State has four all-time conference tournament wins, with its first win coming back during the 2019 tournament in a second-round win over Coastal Carolina.
• The Mountaineers are fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring offense averaging 65.0 points.
• App State is 19th in the NCAA in free throw attempts (453).
• Pre Stanley is fourth in the conference and first on the team in scoring averaging 15.2 points. She is seventh in the league in field goal percentage (46.9).
• Lainey Gosnell 7.3 rebounds per game lead the team and are ninth in the Sun Belt. Her 176 total rebounds are tied for sixth in the conference.

#4 South Alabama (12-12, 9-9 SBC)

• South Alabama’s 26 all-time conference tournament wins are third among active members and fifth in all-time tournament history.
• The Jaguars are 14th in the NCAA and first in the Sun Belt in blocked shots (119).
• South Alabama’s 37.9 field goal percentage defense rank fourth in the conference.
• Antoinette Lewis’s 11.8 points per game are first on the team and 13th in the league … Her 63 block shots rank seventh in the NCAA and first in the SBC … Lewis’s 212 total rebounds rank tied for 26th in the country and tied for third in the conference.
• Mahogany Vaught leads the team in assists with 80, which rank sixth in the SBC … She is also fourth on the team in scoring (10.5).

#5 Georgia Southern (11-12, 5-9 SBC)

• Georgia Southern is looking for its first conference tournament win as it is playing its third tournament.
• The Eagles scoring offense (76.2) is second in the Sun Belt and 29th in the NCAA.
• Georgia Southern ranks sixth in the country and second in the conference in steals (253).
• Shondell Vickers leads the team and is 16th in the SBC in rebounding (6.3). Her 145 total rebounds rank 10th in the league and first on the team. Vickers’ season-high 15 blocks lead the team.
• Terren Ward leads the team in three-point field goal percentage (52.2) and free throw percentage (83.1). She is third on the team in total rebounds (100).

#6 Coastal Carolina (3-14, 0-3 SBC)

• Coastal Carolina has two conference tournament wins with its last one coming back in the 2019 first round over Arkansas State.
• The Chants are third in the conference in field goal percentage (40.4).
• Coastal is third in the Sun Belt in assists per game averaging 13.2.
• Aja Blount paces the team in scoring averaging 16.4 points, field goals made with a 102, and total rebounds with 141. Her 8.3 rebounds per game rank sixth in the SBC.
• Deaja Richardson’s 22 three-pointers made is first on the team and her 1.7 three-pointers made average is seventh in the conference.

West Division Seeds

#1 Louisiana (14-5, 13-1 SBC)

• Louisiana has 14 all-time conference tournament wins with its last one coming during the 2020 quarterfinals in a 49-46 win over Little Rock.
• The Cajuns have the conference’s third-best scoring defense (57.9).
• Louisiana’s 33.3 three-point field goal percentage ranks first in the league.
• Ty’ Reona Doucet leads the team and Sun Belt in field goal percentage (54.3).  She is the team’s leading rebounder averaging 8.1 rebounds per game. Doucet is third on the team in scoring averaging 10.8 points.
• Brandi Williams leads the team in scoring (11.7), which ranks tied for 14th in the league. She is first on the team and second in the Sun Belt in three-point field goal percentage (41.8).

#2 UTA (13-6, 11-4 SBC)

• UTA earned its second conference tournament win last year in the opening round with a 74-50 win over Texas State.
• The Mavericks are 16th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense (35.2), which leads the Sun Belt.
• UTA’s scoring defense (54.1) ranks 14th in the country and first in the league.
• Shyia Smith leads the team in field goal percentage (50.9), which ranks second in the Sun Belt. She is the team’s leading scoring averaging 11.7 points.
• Bre Wickware leads the team and is third in the SBC in free throw percentage (84.3). She is second on the team and 16th in the conference in scoring (11.6).

#3 Little Rock (13-10, 9-7)

• The Trojans have 28 all-time conference tournament wins, the most by a current Sun Belt member. They are second in all-time history behind former member Western Kentucky (60).
• Little Rock’s scoring defense (56.1) ranks second in the conference and 23rd in the NCAA.
• The Trojans are first in the Sun Belt in defensive rebound percentage (73.8).
• Mayra Caicedo’s 150 assists are second in the NCAA and first in the league.  She is seventh in the country and first in the SBC in assists per game (6.5).
• Teal Battler is the team’s leading scorer (13.1), which ranks her eighth in the conference. Her 108 field goals made lead the team and are fifth in the league.
• She is second on the team and 16th in the conference in scoring (11.6).

#4 Texas State (10-10, 7-8 SBC)

• Texas State has four conference tournament wins all-time with the last one coming back during the 2018 quarterfinals before finishing up as the tournament’s runner-up.
• The Bobcats are fourth in the SBC in scoring defense (58.0).
• Texas State is third in the league in defensive rebound percentage (71.3).
• Da’Nasia Hood ranks first on the team and second in the SBC in scoring (16.0). She is tied for first on the team in three-pointers made (26) and field goals made (284).
• Kennedy Taylor’s 107 assists are 26th in the NCAA and second, in the SBC. She is tied for first on the team in three-pointers made (26). Taylor is third on the team in scoring (10.8).
• She is second on the team and 16th in the conference in scoring (11.6).

#5 Arkansas State (9-11, 4-10 SBC)

• Arkansas State’s 27 conference tournament wins are second among current members, with its last one coming in the first round of the 2017 tournament against Georgia Southern.
• The Red Wolves are fourth in the conference in scoring offense (66.3).
• Arkansas State is third in the SBC in total rebounding (827).
• Jada Stinson’s 12.7 points per game lead the team and are ninth in the conference …  Her team-leading 63 assists rank seventh in the SBC.
• Morgan Wallace leads the team in total rebounds (131), which rank 15th in the league … She is averaging 9.2 points this season.
• She is second on the team and 16th in the conference in scoring (11.6).

#6 ULM (3-19, 1-15 SBC)

• ULM has three all-time conference tournament wins with the last one coming during the 2013 first round against Florida Atlantic.
• The Warhawks are third in the conference in rebounding defense (34.7).
• ULM is 10th in the league in blocked shots per game (2.3)
• Kierra Brimzy’s 13.3 points per game are first on the team and seventh in the SBC … She leads the team in field goals made (107), three-pointers made (25) and free throws made (40).
• Kierra Crockett leads the team in rebounding (8.0) and total rebounds (176).  Her 8.0 rebounds per game place her seventh in the SBC.

Sun Belt Players of the Week

Week 1 – Pre Stanley, Appalachian State
Week 2 – Mayra Caicedo, Little Rock
Week 3 – Tiyah Johnson, Troy
Week 4 – Alexus Dye, Troy
Week 5 – A’Tyanna Gaulden, Georgia Southern
Week 6 – Shondell Vickers, Georgia Southern
Week 7 – Antoinette Lewis, South Alabama
Week 9 – Pre Stanley, App State
Week 10 – Alexus Dye, Troy
Week 11 – Terren Ward, Georgia Southern
Week 12 – Teal Battle, Little Rock
Week 13 – Jasmine Robinson, Troy
Week 14 – Lainey Gosnell, App State